Gray recovered some stolen items while in town for a celebrity event

Jul. 15, 2013

Mel Gray played football for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1971-82, and was selected to four straight Pro Bowls.

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A former NFL star was hit by thieves during a stop in Springfield last week.

Mel Gray — who played wide receiver for the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals from 1971 to 1982 — had his Toyota Tundra broken into while it was parked at the Oasis Hotel at 2546 North Glenstone Ave. in the early morning hours of July 11, according to two Springfield police incident reports.

The vehicle was even moved to a different parking spot before the theft was reported at 8:30 a.m.

Shortly after noon that day, according to one report, a Springfield man called 911 about items he had found on the ground at 630 South Weller Ave.

He later took the items to police headquarters.

An officer saw that one of the items was a prescription bottle in Gray’s name, according to the report.

He noted the earlier police report about the theft and was able to contact the former player, who picked up the items that afternoon.

Gray didn’t get everything back, however.

The report about the theft lists the involved property as a roasting pan, Cadillac keys, tennis shoes, a Coach handbag, jackets, a cell phone charger, a leather wallet, sunglasses, a blanket, various CDs, a golf bag and clubs and some items listed as “unknown.”

Among the recovered items listed in the second report detailing the recovery, however, were a bedspread, keys on a key ring with a Japanese logo, an NFL alumni photograph, various briefcases, a black cloth wrap and male and female jackets.

Police spokeswoman Lisa Cox said there is no indication that Gray was specifically targeted because of his fame.

Gray, listed in the report as having a Rockford, Ill., address, was a six-round draft choice for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1971 NFL draft.

He was selected for four consecutive Pro Bowls beginning in 1974 and caught passes in 121 consecutive games between 1973 and 1982 before retiring at age 34, according to The New York Times.